Dinner with Visitor

Wing has been our go-to restaurant when we want to show our out-of-town friends some finest Chinese dishes in town - something I have shared in a newspaper interview recently. And we did just that a few weeks ago, eating with B who came back to visit from Canada. 

The spectacular display of appetizer dishes needs no introduction. The century egg and shirako was excellent with the salivating chili sauce, and so was the abalone with the rice wine marinate well infused and the perfect bouncy texture. The impressive display of razor clams with Yunnan chilies and bull kelp and a simple (yet delicious) plate of sauteed pork and the seasonal water bamboo completed the quartet of starter courses that arrived at our table at the same time. 

Our soup course this time was prepared with crab and bird's nest in a thickened superior broth base and I love the comforting flavor with the bird's nest adding to the overall texture. The local Lion Head Croakers came in perfect sizes (around palm-length for each) and they were fried than braised with a soy and ginger and yellow wine gravy and chilies and the seasonal gingko on top. The delicate meat came right off the bones and paired well with the rich sauce more reminiscent of Shanghainese cuisine than Cantonese. 

The crab with cheung fun was delightful as always, with the rice flour rolls (cheung fun) pan-seared with a slightly burnt crust mixed in well with the sumptuous crab sauce with meat and roes and baby coriander leaves as garnishes. Beef brisket and white radish stew is a common Cantonese winter dish and here it's done in clear broth with fresh sichuan peppercorns for the slight kick. The slices of beef brisket, which were slow-cooked til tender, were great but the white radish was even better with the perfect texture and flavor, soft without being mushy and combined well with the taste from the beef broth and spices. 

Just as we thought we were done with the savory courses, Chef Vicky dropped by with the whole roast goose in hand, much to our surprise given we didn't see goose listed on the menu. The leg and thigh were carved and served in thick chunks with the meat jus, while the breast meat was pulled and served with noodles and soup, cha chaan teng style. The roasting technique was impeccable - meat tender and juicy and the skin well-basted with a dark bronze color and crisped, but I thought a fattier goose could have been used for slightly better texture. I love the soup in the noodles, rich, almost creamy with a hint of gaminess.

We finished with Shanghainese baby cabbage with a gingery broth, followed by a bowl of rice topped with fish maw, morel mushrooms and abalone sauce. Dessert was new too, with the seasonal chestnut cream and the traditional donuts. Went with two bottles for the three of us, starting with a champagne, then a Daiginjo sake which I thought matched well with umami-rich seafood dishes like the king crab with cheung fun and even the richer fish course. 

More photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/albums/72177720306725688

When? February 16 2023
Where? Wing Restaurant, 29F, The Wellington 198 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong
Menu Highlights? Braised Beef Brisket with Daikon and Sichuan Wild Peppercorns in Broth 藤椒清湯腩
Drinks?
Champagne Pierre Peters Cuvee de Reserve Grand Cru Brut
Kokuryu Daiginjo - Kokuryu Shuzo, Fukui Prefecture (黒龍 ⼤吟醸 - 福井県黒龍酒造)
Web: wingrestaurant.hk